Love the name Tess, but struggling to find a middle name that flows well. Last name is my-ZELL. I think it needs to be more than one syllable, needs to have the emphasis on the 2nd or 3rd syllable, and needs to not start with an “A” (otherwise it runs together…Tess Alexandra sounds like Tessa Lexandra).
Tess Victoria?
Tess Elizabeth?
Anything else that sounds better and meets these criteria?
We like classic/timeless/vintage names that aren’t incredibly popular, but also are familiar and obvious to spell. Older daughter is Ruby Claire.
Does Tess my-ZELL even sound good? Or too much duplication of the short “e” sound?
Other first names we’re strongly considering are Alice and Hannah.
I think [name_f]Tess[/name_f] my-ZELL sounds fine, and [name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] is a beautiful combo! I like it more than [name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. [name_f]Tess[/name_f] also goes really nicely with [name_u]Ruby[/name_u]! If you still want some suggestions, here are some:
I love the name Tess and I think it sounds fine with your last name. As for a middle name, I think Tess Elizabeth has the same problem as Tess Alexandra with the “uh” ending being ambiguous about which name it belongs to. Do you not like Tessa? Also, Tess is on Nameberry’s list of nicknames for Elizabeth, so I don’t think you’d want to do them as a combo, but maybe you could do Elizabeth as the first name with nn Tess? (Full disclosure: my daughter is Elizabeth, so I obviously love the name, and we used the article listed above to come up with her nn Birdie.) I also really love Alice and tried to campaign for it, but my husband vetoed. I think all of your choices are beautiful.
I really love [name_f]Tess[/name_f], too! I think it flows fine with your last name. [name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] is my favorite from your shortlist.
Thanks for the suggestions! We strongly prefer [name_f]Tess[/name_f] to Tessa…Tess seems to have more spunk/personality and seems to go better with sib name [name_u]Ruby[/name_u]. (I’ve also known a few dogs and cats named Tessa!)
Interesting on [name_f]Tess[/name_f] as a nickname for Elizabeth…I’ve only seen it as a nickname for [name_f]Tessa[/name_f], [name_f]Teresa[/name_f] and Tessandra.
It’s definitely not an obvious nn, but neither is [name_f]Birdie[/name_f] and no one has questioned us so I think people would probably just roll with it . And I love [name_f]Tess[/name_f] and [name_u]Ruby[/name_u]! I hope you find a middle name that you love.
I adore [name_f]Tess[/name_f], and I think it’s perfect with [name_u]Ruby[/name_u]! I actually like the flow and repeated sounds with your last name. From your middle name options I prefer [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. [name_f]My[/name_f] first thought was [name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], but it breaks your no-A-endings rule. I don’t hear it as [name_f]Tessa[/name_f] [name_f]Melia[/name_f] when I say it, but I understand just wanting to steer clear of that issue entirely. [name_f]My[/name_f] second thought was [name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Marjorie[/name_f], which I love but which doesn’t fit the syllable emphasis rule. Maybe…
I like [name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and [name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Victoria[/name_f]! [name_f]Tess[/name_f] my-ZELL sounds good.
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] is so sweet! I finally gave up on [name_f]Tess[/name_f] for [name_f]Tessa[/name_f], which I find easier to work with, but [name_f]Tess[/name_f] is such a lovely name. I love your idea of [name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Victoria[/name_f]! [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] isn’t generally my thing–it almost feels too austere?–but I love her with [name_f]Tess[/name_f]! She feels like an [name_f]English[/name_f] primrose garden.
A few other ideas:
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Katharina[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Felicity[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Juliana[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] Celeste/Tess [name_u]Camille[/name_u]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Nicolette[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Maddalena[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] (although I suppose this sounds a bit like [name_f]Tessa[/name_f] Louise)
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Delphine[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Olivia[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Corinne[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Gabriella[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Odette[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] is such a great name! I’m always surprised it’s not used more frequently. [name_f]My[/name_f] sister is [name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Virginia[/name_f].
Other combos I like with classic names:
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Lydia[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Caroline[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Naomi[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Louisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Miranda[/name_f]
Thanks all for the suggestions! I thought we were getting close with [name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] (which I love!), but it turns out my husband doesn’t really like it. We can both agree on [name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], BUT now I’m concerned based on the comments by @lisshie that [name_f]Tess[/name_f] could be considered a nickname for [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. If it’s indeed a nickname for [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], then naming a kid [name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] could be completely ridiculous, like naming a kid [name_f]Betsy[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Liz[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] or [name_f]Beth[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]! Need some extra opinions here If 99% of people would hear “Tess Elizabeth” and think it sounded great, then I think we could move forward with that. But if most people would view it like a “Betsy Elizabeth” then we definitely need to go back to the drawing board!
(Tess [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] is also back on the table, since I think the “A” sound is sufficiently connected to the “Al” of [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] that hopefully it doesn’t run together too much!)
@kmyzz [name_f]Tess[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] is lovely, and I definitely don’t hear it as anything along the lines of [name_f]Betsy[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]! I’m vaguely aware of [name_f]Tess[/name_f] as a nickname for [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], but I don’t know where that originates from and honestly it seems like so much of a stretch that it’s not what comes to mind for me at all when I see this combo. I think it’s a gorgeous name and totally usable
[name_f]Bess[/name_f] is the nn most commonly associated with [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] rather than [name_f]Tess[/name_f], but I suppose it would be easy to go from [name_f]Bess[/name_f] to [name_f]Tess[/name_f].
I do see [name_f]Tess[/name_f] as a nn, though, and am fascinated with Tessandra!
I like [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_f]Geneva[/name_f], [name_u]Kingsley[/name_u] or [name_f]Lilith[/name_f] as middles with [name_f]Tess[/name_f].
Ahhh, I hate that my comment is messing you up! I just wanted to point it out because I would want to know if it was me, and I thought it might be helpful. I didn’t know [name_f]Tess[/name_f] was on the nn list for [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] until we were naming our daughter and found that list that I linked above. I definitely do not think it’s like [name_f]Betsy[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] or [name_f]Bess[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. If you’re worried, maybe make a poll in the Quick [name_u]Poll[/name_u] thread and see what the responses are? The Berries in there will have good suggestions!
. And I love [name_f]Tess[/name_f] and [name_u]Ruby[/name_u]! I hope you find a middle name that you love.
If 99% of people would hear “Tess Elizabeth” and think it sounded great, then I think we could move forward with that. But if most people would view it like a “Betsy Elizabeth” then we definitely need to go back to the drawing board!